Wilson's Disease

Wilson's Disease: Introduction

Wilson's Disease: Wilson's Disease is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of copper transport, resulting in copper accumulation and toxicity to the liver and brain. (Source: Genes and Disease by the National Center for Biotechnology) ... more about Wilson's Disease.

Wilson's Disease: Wilson disease, or hepatolenticular degeneration, is a neurodegenerative disease of copper metabolism. More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Wilson's Disease is available below.

Symptoms of Wilson's Disease

• Various neurological and behavioral symptoms - from copper damage to the brain; may be the first symptoms seen in about 60% of cases:
  • Tremor
  • Rigidity of muscles
  • Muscle weakness
  • Muscle paralysis
• more symptoms...»

See full list of 88 symptoms of Wilson's Disease

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Wilson's Disease:

• Bladder & Urinary Health: Home Testing:
  • Home Bladder Testing
  • Home Urinary Tract Infection Tests
  • Home Cystitis Tests
  • Home Kidney Tests
  • Home Urine Protein Tests (Kidney Function)
  • Home Prostate Cancer Tests
• Liver Health & Hepatitis: Home Testing
  • Home Hepatitis Tests
  • Home Liver Tests
  • Sexually Transmitted Disease Tests
• Kidney Health: Home Testing:
  • Home Kidney Testing
  • Home Microalbumin Tests (Kidney)
  • Home Urine Protein Tests (Kidney)
  • Home Urinary Tract Infection Test Kits
• Brain & Neurological Disorders: Related Home Testing:
  • ADHD -- Home Tests
  • Drug Screening Kits
• more tests...»

Wilson's Disease: Complications

Review possible medical complications related to Wilson's Disease:

• Liver disease
• Kidney damage
• Brain damage
• Eye damage
• Portal hypertension
• Cirrhosis of the liver
• Severe brain damage (see Brain symptoms)
• more complications...»

Medical Textbooks Online about Wilson's Disease

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic Tests for Wilson's Disease

• Eye exam - for the Kayser-Fleischer ring
• Urine tests
• Urine copper level
• Blood tests
• Blood copper level
• more tests...»

See full list of 6 diagnostic tests for Wilson's Disease

Wrongly Diagnosed with Wilson's Disease?

• Misdiagnosis of Wilson's Disease
• Failure to diagnose Wilson's Disease
• Hidden causes of Wilson's Disease (possibly wrongly diagnosed)
• Undiagnosed: Wilson's Disease

Wilson's Disease: Self Assessment Tools

• Stroke -- Self Assessment Tools
• more tools...»

Wilson's Disease: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers

Products, offers and promotion categories available for Wilson's Disease:

• Urinary Care & Incontinence
• Stroke
• Brain
• more product offers...»

Wilson's Disease: Undiagnosed Conditions

Commonly undiagnosed diseases in related medical categories:

• Brain & Neurological Disorders: Undiagnosed:
  • Adult ADHD -- Undiagnosed - ADHD can be undiagnosed in adults.
  • ADHD -- Undiagnosed
  • Alzheimer Disease -- Undiagnosed
  • Migraine -- Undiagnosed
  • Concentration Disorders -- Undiagnosed
  • Stroke -- Undiagnosed
  • Bipolar Disorder -- Undiagnosed
  • Schizophrenia -- Undiagnosed
  • Epilepsy -- Undiagnosed
• more undiagnosed conditions...»

Misdiagnosis and Wilson's Disease

Rare copper disease insidious and misdiagnosed: Wilson's disease (a form of copper overload) is a rare disorder that has a slow and insidious onset that can often...read more »

Undiagnosed stroke leads to misdiagnosed aphasia: BBC News UK reported on a man who had been institutionalized and treated for mental illness because he suffered from sudden inability to speak. This...read more »

Dementia may be a drug interaction: A common scenario in aged care is for a patient to show mental decline to dementia. Whereas this can, of course, occur due to various medical...read more »

Mild traumatic brain injury often remains undiagnosed: Although the symptoms of severe brain injury are hard to miss, it is less clear for milder injuries, or even those causing a mild concussion diagnosis. The condition...read more »

MTBI misdiagnosed as balance problem: When a person has symptoms such as vertigo or dizziness, a diagnosis of brain injury may go overlooked....read more »

Brain pressure condition often misdiagnosed as dementia: A condition that results from an excessive pressure of CSF within the brain is often misdiagnosed. It may be misdiagnosed...read more »

Post-concussive brain injury often misdiagnosed: A study found that soldiers who had suffered a concussive injury in battle often were misdiagnosed on their...read more »

Chronic liver disease often undiagnosed: One study reported that 50% of patients with a chronic liver disease remain undiagnosed by their primary physician. The reasons are multifactorial. Possible conditions include ...read more »

Children with migraine often misdiagnosed: A migraine often fails to be correctly diagnosed in pediatric patients. These patients are not the typical migraine sufferers, but migraines can also occur in children. See ...read more »

Huntington disease maybe confused: Huntington Disease is an autosomal dominant disorder presenting as an inherited adult onset neurological...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Wilson's Disease

Wilson's Disease: Research Doctors & Specialists

Research related physicians and medical specialists:

• Neurology (Brain/CNS Specialists):
  • Neurology (Brain/CNS Specialists)
  • Pediatric Neurology (Child Brain Specialist)
  • Pediatric Neurosurgery (Child Neurosurgeon)
  • Clinical Neurophysiology
  • Neurodevelopment Disabilities
  • Neurosurgery (Brain Surgery)
  • Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (Nerve/Muscle/Bone Specialists)
  • Neuroradiology
  • Vascular Neurology
  • Neuropathology
  • Otology / Neurotology (Ear/Hearing Specialists)
• Stroke & Vascular Specialists:
  • Vascular Neurology (Brain Blood Vessels)
  • Vascular & Interventional Radiology
  • Vascular Surgery (Blood Vessel Surgeon)
  • Neuropathology (Brain Diagnostics)
• Urinary & Bladder Specialists (Urology):
  • Urology (Urinary Specialists)
  • Urological Surgery (Urinary Surgeons)
• more specialists...»

Other doctor, physician and specialist research services:

• Rate Your Doctor Online
• Research Your Doctor Online
• Review Patient Surveys About Your Doctor
• Research local specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.

Hospitals & Clinics: Wilson's Disease

Research quality ratings and patient safety measures for medical facilities in specialties related to Wilson's Disease:

• Kidney Dialysis Centers -- Hospital Quality Ratings
• Kidney Doctors (Nephrologists) -- Ratings and Reports
• Kidney Health (Nephrology) -- Hospital Quality Ratings
• Urinary Health (Urology) -- Hospital Quality Ratings
• more hospital ratings...»

Hospital & Clinic quality ratings » »

Choosing the Best Hospital: More general information, not necessarily in relation to Wilson's Disease, on hospital performance and surgical care quality:

• 50 Best Hospitals Report
• Outstanding Patient Experinece Award Winning Hospitals
• Women's Health Best Hospitals
• Patient Safety
• Hospital Quality and Clinical Excellence Study (2009)

Wilson's Disease: Rare Types

Rare types of diseases and disorders in related medical categories:

• Brain & Neurological Disorders: Rare Types:
  • Adult ADHD -- Rare Types
  • ADHD -- Rare Types
  • Alzheimer Disease -- Rare Types
  • Migraine -- Rare Types
  • Concentration Disorders -- Rare Types
  • Stroke -- Rare Types
  • Bipolar Disorder -- Rare Types
  • Schizophrenia -- Rare Types
  • Epilepsy -- Rare Types
• more rare diseases...»

Causes of Wilson's Disease

• Wilson disease is an autosomal recessive inherited condition caused by mutations or deletions of the ATP7B protein encoded by chromosome subbands 13q14.3-q 21.1
• more causes...»

Read more about causes of Wilson's Disease

More information about causes of Wilson's Disease:

• Underlying causes of Wilson's Disease

Treatments for Wilson's Disease

• Lifelong treatment
• Low-copper diet - avoid shellfish, chocolate, liver, mushrooms, nuts, and various other foods.
• Vitamin B6 supplements (pyridoxine)
• Zinc supplements
• Anti-copper agents
• more treatments...»

See full list of 14 treatments for Wilson's Disease

News Archives for Wilson's Disease

Medical news articles related to Wilson's Disease include:

• Data Overload May Complicate Insurance Choices
• more health news...»

Source: HealthDay News

Evidence Based Medicine Research for Wilson's Disease

Medical research articles related to Wilson's Disease include:

• Wilson's Disease
• For a woman with Wilson?s disease who has had an earlier episode of unprotected sexual intercourse more than 10 days ago and is within 5 days of the expected time of ovulation, can a copper IUD be used?
• Dementia ? Diagnostic and Therapeutic Interventions (vol 2)
• For a woman with Wilson?s disease who has had an earlier episode of unprotected sexual intercourse more than 10 days ago and is within 5 days of the expected time of ovulation, can a copper IUD be used?
• The professional's guide to Parkinson's Disease
• Cirrhosis
• more research...»

Click here to find more evidence-based articles on the TRIP Database

Videos for Wilson's Disease

Patient Surveys for Wilson's Disease

• Patient Profile Survey
  Take Survey  View Results
• Survey about the symptoms of your Wilson's Disease
  Take Survey  View Results

Prognosis for Wilson's Disease

Prognosis for Wilson's Disease: Improvement usually begins 5-6 months after the start of therapy and continues for about 24 months. The deficits present at 24 months are likely to be permanent.

More about prognosis of Wilson's Disease

Reseach about Wilson's Disease

Visit our research pages for current research about Wilson's Disease treatments.

Statistics for Wilson's Disease

• Medical statistics for Wilson's Disease
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Wilson's Disease
• Death and Mortality statistics for Wilson's Disease
• Society statistics for Wilson's Disease

Wilson's Disease: Broader Related Topics

• Kidney conditions
• Liver conditions
• Chronic liver disease
• Systemic disorders
• more types...»

Types of Wilson's Disease

Stories from Users Related to Wilson's Disease

• Has anyone been diagnosed with Wilson's Temperature Syndrome and are being treated??
• Wilson's Disease
• marijuana use and chorea
• Chorea?? Drug Induced??

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User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Wilson's Disease, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Article Excerpts about Wilson's Disease

Genes and Disease by the National Center for Biotechnology (Excerpt)

Wilson's Disease is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of copper transport, resulting in copper accumulation and toxicity to the liver and brain. (Source: Genes and Disease by the National Center for Biotechnology)

Wilson's Disease: NIDDK (Excerpt)

Wilson's disease causes the body to retain copper. The liver of a person who has Wilson's disease does not release copper into bile as it should. Bile is a liquid produced by the liver that helps with digestion. As the intestines absorb copper from food, the copper builds up in the liver and injures liver tissue. Eventually, the damage causes the liver to release the copper directly into the bloodstream, which carries the copper throughout the body. The copper buildup leads to damage in the kidneys, brain, and eyes. If not treated, Wilson's disease can cause severe brain damage, liver failure, and death. (Source: excerpt from Wilson's Disease: NIDDK)

NINDS Wilson's Disease Information Page: NINDS (Excerpt)

Wilson's disease is an inherited disorder in which excessive amounts of copper accumulate in the body. Although the accumulation of copper begins at birth, symptoms of the disorder appear later in life, between the ages of 6 and 40. (Source: excerpt from NINDS Wilson's Disease Information Page: NINDS)

Definitions of Wilson's Disease:

A rare autosomal recessive disease characterized by the deposition of copper in the BRAIN; LIVER; CORNEA; and other organs. It is caused by defects in the ATP7B gene encoding copper-transporting ATPase 2 (EC 3.6.3.4), also known as the Wilson disease protein. The overload of copper inevitably leads to progressive liver and neurological dysfunction such as LIVER CIRRHOSIS; TREMOR; ATAXIA and intellectual deterioration. Hepatic dysfunction may precede neurologic dysfunction by several years. - (Source - Diseases Database)

A rare inherited disorder of copper metabolism; copper accumulates in the liver and then in the red blood cells and brain - (Source - WordNet 2.1)

Wilson's Disease is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Wilson's Disease, or a subtype of Wilson's Disease, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)